Boulder plans to stop adding water to Thunderbird Lake and see if the lake can maintain its current levels.

Since 2009, the city has been adding potable water to the manmade lake located in Admiral Arleigh A. Burke Park in the Frasier Meadows neighborhood, southwest of Baseline Road and Foothills Parkway, after water levels there dropped precipitously earlier in the decade.

But last year, city officials said they thought it would be more "sustainable" to stop adding water and plant vegetation appropriate for an intermittent wetland. Officials then said they believed that without adding more water the water levels in the lake would stabilize at roughly the 2012 levels.

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the issue on Tuesday.

In a memo to City Council, the Parks and Recreation Department said it will continue to monitor lake levels and water quality to make sure there aren't odor and algae issues as in previous years. The department also plans to continue working with Horizons K-8 and the University of Colorado's Environmental Design School to develop outdoor educational opportunities and a nature play area at the lake.

Residents of the nearby Frasier Meadows retirement community have lobbied and rallied to return the lake to its former state. Resident and Water Resources Advisory Board member Chuck Howe said most residents have accepted the smaller lake, but they hope the city doesn't let it get any lower. Howe believes Thunderbird Lake has dropped nearly a foot since last summer.

"If it goes down much lower, the surface area is going to be diminished," he said.

Howe said he is encouraged by the city's decision to invest in outdoor education about wetlands at the lake, as it provides an incentive to maintain at least the current water levels.

"The council needs to make it clear and direct Parks and Recreation to maintain the 2012 level, adding water as necessary to do so," he said. "Having made all these investments, I can't imagine that they would let the water level drop more."

Councilman Ken Wilson, a former water board member himself, said the city needs to be cautious in drought years, but he sees no reason not to add water to the lake as necessary.

"We water the grass in our parks," he said. "Why can't we water the lake? It's an amenity that a lot of people love, and we spend a lot of money to keep our amenities in good shape. It would be sad to let this one go."

Boulder Mayor Matt Appelbaum said it's reasonable to stop adding water and see what water levels do. He's not opposed to adding water occasionally, but in the dry conditions that have prevailed along the Front Range, the city needs to prioritize its water resources, he said.

"Our priorities have to be keeping trees alive, keeping the things you can't replace," he said.

John and Doris Hiza? stop and rest during their daily walk around Thunderbird Lake, located in Admiral Arleigh A. Burke Park. The city of Boulder has added water to the lake since 2009, but is considering changing course to see if the lake will maintain current levels naturally.
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